1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to shipping cartons. More particularly, it relates to shipping cartons having means for access to one complete side of the carton permitting opening and reclosing the carton after assembly around its contents.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The shipping carton of this invention is particularly well suited for storage and shipping of kitchen cabinets or other similar items that may be stored in incomplete condition and completed per order just prior to shipping. Many products have a basic structure which is common to all the products of the same size but have one part which varies between products depending on the style or design choice of particular customers. In kitchen cabinets, for example, cabinets of the same size have the same basic structure except for the door which varies depending on the style choice of the customer.
Prior to this invention, kitchen cabinets were fully assembled, placed in shipping cartons and stored awaiting orders from customers. Due to the various door styles available, multiple stocks of the various style kitchen cabinets had to be assembled, placed in cartons and stored. This required a vast amount of storage space, significantly greater production of the basic structure components in order to have an adequate stock of cabinets having each different door style, and prediction of demand for particular styles which, if inaccurate, required additional labor to unpack and change the door on cabinets having less popular styles to meet demand for more popular styles.
The shipping carton of this invention overcomes the previous disadvantages by permitting manufacturing, placing in cartons and storing the basic structural element of the cabinets without attachment of the door. On receiving an order for a particular style cabinet, the door which establishes the style of the cabinet can be installed on the basic structural element without removing it from the carton of this invention. By using this invention, only one stock of the basic structural element for each size of cabinet need be maintained. Thus, required storage space is greatly reduced since the individual style doors can be stored separately from the basic structural elements.
Furthermore, since a cabinet is not assembled with an individual style door until an order is received, an incorrect prediction of style demands does not leave one stock of assembled cabinets virtually unsold or require the additional labor to unpackage and change the doors on already packaged cabinets.
This invention greatly reduces the costs involved in labor, inventory and warehouse facilities previously required in kitchen cabinet industries and other industries manufacturing products having various style, interchangeable components.